Ecotels

Menu
BOOK NOW

Author: Ecotels

The Best Environmental Volunteer Programs

Vegan Travel

Volunteering trips are an amazing way to see the world, meet new people, and even do some good whilst you’re at it! But what if you’d like to specifically help out the planet and the environment on your volunteering adventure? It can be hard to find programs that actually help, aren’t a total scam, and give you an amazing opportunity, so in this post we’re going through the best types of environmental volunteer schemes along with some of the best that we’ve found that you can research and sign up for right now!

The Best Types of Environmental Volunteering Scheme That Can Have A Real Impact

Coastal and Ocean Clean-ups

One way you can have a direct impact on the surrounding environment during your trip is to volunteer for coastal clean-ups or ocean clean-ups. As part of a clean-up you’ll remove plastics and litter from beaches, shores, and the sea which brings a whole scope of benefits that you’ll directly contribute to!

Plastic and other rubbish on beaches is incredibly harmful to the wildlife, including birds, crabs, lizards, seals, baby turtles and more. Once this waste ends up in the ocean, it becomes a major hazard to sea life, sea plants, and even humans as micro plastics build up throughout ecosystems. 

By participating in a clean-up operation, you’ll be helping to directly reduce the build-up of litter and hazardous waste materials and keep beaches and oceans safer for everyone!

Reforestation

Reforestation volunteering programs are focused on planting new trees and life, and helping to regenerate natural areas. There’s a reason why deforestation and the destruction of huge forests like the Amazon is a scary prospect – these green areas are the lungs of our planet and are vital in absorbing carbon and producing clean oxygen.

Unfortunately, many companies, organisations, and even governments are sacrificing our forests for financial and material gain which is only accelerating the issues our environment faces.

Taking part in a reforestation scheme means that you’ll be directly responsible for helping to build our planet’s forest areas back up again through planting trees and helping them to grow. Ok, you alone won’t solve the immeasurable destruction that’s currently occurring, but in a few decades you will have real, physical signs of your environmental volunteering work! And, every tree does its part in helping.

Sustainable Education

Education is essential in driving the battle for climate awareness and reducing our environmental impact. In whichever form it comes, educating, inspiring, and engaging younger generations in the climate conversation can go a long way in developing a healthy attitude towards the planet and its resources.

Whether you help out at eco-focused activity events, teaching children abroad about sustainability, or helping out at after school clubs and environmental programs, there are lots of ways that you can reach children with important information on environmental awareness, climate change, and leading a sustainable lifestyle!

Support Charities

This final one is a bit of vague “cover all aspects” approach that could give you a wider scope if you’re struggling to find specific programs for any of the above. 

Countries all over the world have sustainable charities in place that are already carrying out important work. Indeed, there are many global charities that carry out their projects across the world too. Helping out these charities is another great way to volunteer with a primarily sustainable focus as you could support them with a range of activities from any of those named above, to animal welfare, to protecting habitats.

Some of The Best Environmental Volunteer Schemes You Can Take Part In Now

It’s all well and good outlining the best types of environmental volunteering schemes to see where you can make the biggest impact, but what if you actually want to sign up to one now and get out there? Well good news, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourites!

Restoring Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Location: Rosário da Limeira, Brazil

Description: We warmly invite you to join us at the Iracambi Rainforest Center in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where you’ll gain firsthand experience in reforestation, medicinal plants, community outreach and environmental educational.

For over twenty years we’ve planted over 140,000 native forest trees, founded the first program of environmental education in the region, set up the first web-based GIS, created thousands of acres of protected areas, hosted 2000 international students and volunteers from 70 countries, and impacted the lives of thousands of people in the Serra do Brigadeiro mountains. 

Link: https://www.volunteerworld.com/en/volunteer-program/restoring-brazlian-atlantic-rainforest-in-brazil-rosario-da-limeira/

Environmental Education Volunteering in Bali

Location: Ubud, Bali

Description: Love spending time in nature and want to be an Environmental Education volunteer in Bali – Ubud? International Volunteer HQ’s Environmental Education project enables volunteers to teach local elementary school children about recycling and sustainable living, as well as sharing English language skills. Volunteers will gain teaching experience and children will learn how to clean up and look after their home and the natural environment.

Link: https://www.volunteerhq.org/gb/destinations/bali/environmental-education-in-ubud/

Reforestation Volunteering Project in Iceland

Location: Úlfljótsvatn lake, Iceland

Descriptions: Volunteers are needed to help with ecological restoration and reforestation in the region of Úlfljótsvatn lake in the southwest of Iceland. Parts of the area have been heavily eroded or degraded and are in an urgent need of attention. Volunteers will assist with the reforesting in the area, by planting seedlings and by fertilising young trees.

Link: https://www.workingabroad.com/projects/reforestation-volunteer-project-iceland/

The Great African Sea Forest Marine Volunteer Program in South Africa

Location: False Bay, South Africa

Description: Join a team of passionate marine biologists and conservationists in the field and get hands-on experience working on marine research and conservation projects. Assist with scientific monitoring projects, citizen science initiatives and explore the kelp forests whilst on fish and shark surveys with the research team. Contribute to long term monitoring programmes of the Great African Seaforest.

Link: https://www.workingabroad.com/projects/great-african-sea-forest-programme-south-africa/

Beach / Mountain Cleaning Support in Spain

Location: Bilbao, Spain

Description: Since many beaches and mountains are not yet adequately protected from an environmental point of view, the support of volunteers is required. With your volunteer work in this project, you make a significant contribution to the preservation of ecosystems and marine and environmental life. Information, awareness and educational work towards people to take an active role in change and to be more aware of what each of us can contribute so that the environmental impact is one of the significant tasks of this program.

Link: https://www.volunteerworld.com/en/volunteer-program/beach-mountain-cleaning-in-spain-bilbao

Thailand Coastal Conservation

Location: Phang Nga, Thailand

Description: Contribute to conserving Thailand’s unique species and habitats while living and working with other international volunteers in one of the most naturally splendid regions in the world, Thailand’s province of Phang Nga. Assist with turtle conservation, plastic pollution prevention, bird and butterfly surveys, island biodiversity monitoring, and environmental awareness education, in an effort to work toward United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, UN SDGs, #14 and #15, Life Below Water and Life on Land.

Link: https://www.gvi.co.uk/programs/thailand-coastal-marine-expedition/

Plastic Cleanup Expedition in Costa Rica

Location: Garabito, Costa Rica

Description: Our main goal is to make the oceans, rivers, and coastlines plastic free primarily through our coastal cleanup expeditions.  We also have an approach through regenerative programs that are possible thanks to our international volunteer program. We have had volunteers from more than 30 countries around the world participating in our projects. We also receive sponsorship from Companies and  NGO’s that believe change is a priority for our planet.  

Link: https://www.volunteerworld.com/en/volunteer-program/costa-rica-coastal-cleanup-expeditions-in-costa-rica-garabito

These are just some of the volunteer programs across the world that are focused on direct action to protect the environment that they work within. If you’d like to find more sustainable and environmental volunteer schemes, we’ve linked a few sites below! Alternatively, use Google to find more and be sure to read up on each program – what will you be doing, is it well reviewed, are the organisation reputable and trustworthy? 

Volunteer World

Volunteer HQ

GVI

book a sustainable trip today with ecotels - banner

The Best Countries To Visit As A Vegan

Vegan Travel

It’s fair to say that travelling as a vegan brings its challenges, especially in certain countries or areas where the trend hasn’t exactly caught on yet. Whilst you can probably get by in most countries these days, wouldn’t it be nice to do more than just get by? In today’s post, we’re going through the best countries to travel to as a vegan that are full of options!

Germany

Germany is great for vegans for many reasons, and it’s even been named the sixth best in the world for people on a vegan diet! Thanks to growing popularity in ditching meat, supermarkets and restaurants are increasingly providing a wide range of vegan alternatives. Plus, thanks to purity laws, almost all German-brewed beers are vegan too!

If you’re heading to Germany then Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Cologne are your best bets for finding vegan food – they’re all in the world’s top 15 cities for vegans! Berlin has more than 50 vegan-only restaurants and a whopping 300+ with plant-based options on their menus.

Israel

We couldn’t have written this list without Israel – now known as the Vegan Capital of the world. Over 5% of the country are full time vegans and many of their traditional dishes are naturally vegan. Big name brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Domino’s even use Israel to launch new plant-based options as they know the take-up will be high!

From Jerusalem, to Tel Aviv, to Nazareth, wherever you’re headed you’ll find a range of amazing options. Anything from street food, to small family-run restaurants, to high-end cuisine experiences! 

UK

The UK has also seen recent rises in the popularity of reducing meat consumption and in the vegan diet and lifestyle. It’s estimated that up to 4% of the UK’s population are now vegan, with a further 8-10% being strict vegetarians. As a result of this, there’s now loads of plant-based options wherever you go, making it great for travellers!

London is the best spot to head to if you’re looking to eat out – with over 1,000 vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants you won’t have to look far! But, wherever you’re headed, you won’t fall short of options – cities all across the country including Norwich, Edinburgh, Manchester, Cardiff, and Brighton have all seen huge increases in the number of vegan establishments. You’ll also find a fairly comprehensive range of vegan alternatives in almost every supermarket in the UK at an affordable price!

USA

According to recent surveys, around 6% of the US population are now vegan, which has helped to make the country a great choice for vegan travellers. Many supermarkets have a range of vegan alternatives to buy and many of the larger chain restaurants now have vegan options. 

Larger cities in the country are your best bet as they’ll have more options available. LA for example has almost 8,000 restaurants that are either entirely vegan or have vegan options! Check out the top 5 U.S. cities for vegans in our recent Instagram post!

Thailand

Living the vegan lifestyle is surprisingly easy in Thailand, thanks to its many vegetable-based dishes and consistent popularity growth in meat alternatives. In fact, Thailand’s plant-based market sees roughly 25% growth year-on-year! You’ll find loads of fresh fruit and vegetable markets across the country, and vegan options in many of the local restaurants.

Some of the best places to go in Thailand if you’re on the lookout for great vegan options are Chiang Mai with over 200 vegan friendly restaurants, Bangkok, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao!

Indonesia

Similar to Thailand, Indonesia have long eaten many vegetable-based dishes, primarily using tofu and tempeh as sources of proteins. Wherever you head in Indonesia you’re likely to find options that are naturally vegan and are made with fresh Indonesian vegetables, such as vegetable mie goreng and nasi goreng, coconut curries, and other rice dishes. (just be sure to check the noodles are without egg!) Many street markets provide delicious vegan food that’s incredibly tasty and ultra-affordable!

Bali is unsurprisingly the number one spot for vegans in Indonesia – the island is packed with plant-based restaurants of all types, so you won’t find it hard to satisfy your cravings here. Jakarta and Gili Trawangan are some other spots where you’ll find a great range of plant-based food easily!

India

With more than 30% of the population living as vegetarians and countless traditional vegetarian dishes, India is a fantastic country if you’re a vegan. Whilst many of these dishes are called vegetarian, a lot of them are in fact 100% vegan! Many curries and sauces are made with delicious spices, lentils, beans, and vegetables – full of flavour, full of nutrition, and totally animal friendly.

All across the country you’ll find amazing street food, markets, and local restaurants that serve delicious, diverse dishes full of flavour. And all that, for sometimes less than $1 per person! The main things you’ll want to look out for are dairy products like cheeses, milk, and cream. If you can avoid those, you’re in for a real treat!Whichever countries you’re planning on visiting, you’ll hopefully find some vegan options to keep you going during your stay. But if you’re looking for somewhere that’s going to make it easy, these countries are definitely your safest bets! Which of the best countries to travel to as a vegan do you want to go to next?

Whichever countries you’re planning on visiting, you’ll hopefully find some vegan options to keep you going during your stay. But if you’re looking for somewhere that’s going to make it easy, these countries are definitely your safest bets! Which of the best countries to travel to as a vegan do you want to go to next?

book sustainable hotels and vegan hotels with Ecotels

What Does “Sustainable Travel” Mean?

Sustainable Travel

What does “sustainable travel” actually mean? The term is thrown around a lot these days, especially over here at Ecotels! It’s what we’re all about after all! You might have asked yourself at some point, what exactly does the term even mean and what we’re referring to when we mention travelling sustainably. So that’s exactly what we’re going to answer in this post!

What Does The Term “Sustainable Travel” Mean?

Sustainable travel means travelling in a way that minimises your impact on the environment, the amount of resources that you use, and the waste that you produce. In this way, it allows tourism to be maintained long-term for future generations, where the industry itself allows the planet and its environment to continue to survive and replenish the resources that are used from tourism.

In other words, for travel to be sustainable, it must only take resources that can be replenished at a similar rate in which they are taken!

So How Can You “Travel Sustainably”?

There are many ways that you can contribute to the sustainable travel movement whenever you go away! Some of them are easier said than done, whilst others require just a simple switch. Here’s some inspiration to get you started:

  • Choose lower emission transport methods! Flying by plane is absolutely the most harmful way to travel. Picking train, coach, or car releases fewer emissions and makes you a more sustainable traveller. Unfortunately, until all electricity is generated via sustainable production methods, no method of transport will be entirely sustainable.
  • Stay in sustainable accommodation. Many hotels pay no attention to the materials they use, the cleaning products they use, the waste they create, or how they source their food. By opting for actively sustainable accommodation, you’ll be adopting a sustainable travel attitude that reduces your impact on the planet, with less waste, fewer harmful materials, chemicals, and foods.
  • Always stay waste conscious. Another major impact that we travellers have on the environment is a very direct one – and that’s waste and litter. Without paying much attention to it, it’s easy to create a lot of waste from food, drink, water bottles, packaging, and bathroom products. By keeping waste in your mind as you travel, you can limit your use of single-use plastics, avoid products that have a lot of packaging, and use less whilst you’re on the go. Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog post on how to reduce your travel waste!
  • Eat sustainably. The food that we all eat is a massive contributor to the sustainability of our current lives. For example, as a result of creating more land for livestock farming and feeding, over half of the world’s trees have been lost, and the global food system currently produces around 30% of emissions. This doesn’t even mention the impact we have on topsoil erosion, marine life, and waste production.
    Choosing locally sourced foods, organic foods, and predominantly plant based meals helps to lower your impact and eat more sustainably. As you do so, sustainable travel becomes a much more achievable target and you’ll help out local communities and growers along the way!

Using Ecotels To Travel Sustainably

So how can you use Ecotels for sustainable travel? We’ve got the ambitious goal of changing travel for good. After all, if it’s not sustainable then at some point, there will be no more travel – and nobody wants that!

By using our platform, you can contribute not only towards your own sustainable travel, but to a wider system that paves the way for change! You can book sustainable transport such as coach and train journeys, along with making your stay environmentally friendly too with our carefully selected range of sustainable hotels. This lowers your emissions on all fronts and even helps you to reduce waste and avoid pollutants, as many of the hotels listed make a conscious effort to use planet-safe substances and materials.

As well as that, you’ll be contributing to our donation scheme, where we give back to the planet through sustainability-focused organisations and charities who help to regenerate and protect our environment. 

For more information, head over to our FAQs and About pages to see how you can create a sustainable travel future with us! 

Could Flying Ever Be Sustainable?

Sustainable Travel

Flying is without doubt the worst way to travel when it comes to protecting our environment. The emissions of flying are far greater than any other form of transport, and as it currently stands, they can only be powered by oil – the most harmful fuel source on the planet. Many people wonder though if there are ways to fly sustainably, or if this could ever be done in the future, so we’ve set out to try and find the answer. Could flying ever be sustainable?

How Bad Is Flying For The Planet?

Flying accounts for around 10% of our overall travel emissions and about 3% of the total global emissions each and every year. This might not sound like much, but that’s still over 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 every single year and comes from just 11% of the global population who are fliers. As it becomes more accessible to more people, you can see how this quickly becomes a growing figure.

Not only does flying product CO2 though, but due to it burning fossil fuels directly in the atmosphere, flying also releases sulphates, nitrous gases, and contrails which all directly trap heat. It also releases PM2.5 particles, which are directly responsible for over 3.2 million deaths each year. This particularly affects poorer countries and cities where air pollution levels are higher.

What About Offsetting Carbon?

Offsetting carbon is now one of the ways in which airlines are making passengers feel less guilty about flying. Most will let you pay a small extra fee to “offset” your carbon and therefore fly carbon neutral. Except you almost certainly won’t be. 

First of all, carbon emissions from flying are direct and take fairly immediate effect, however offset programs are retroactive and often fall far behind the expected schedule. So, you’ll still be emitting the same carbon, only you might be helping to get rid of some of it years down the line.

What’s more is the quality of these offset programs vary tremendously, and you can never really know where your offset donation is going. Most airlines won’t make it public where they’re offsetting carbon, so your money could be going anywhere – including any of the less effective programs that often won’t recuperate your CO2 in your lifetime. A study carried out on reforestation projects in South America for example revealed that most projects never deliver anything near the expected carbon benefit.

Providing that you were able to find an airline who is invested in the best possible carbon offset scheme, that was able to provide a quick turnaround on carbon reduction (which is virtually impossible), then you’re still not able to prevent the other harmful substances created by flying that currently have a worse, and more direct impact on human and environmental health.

So at the end of the day, whilst carbon offsetting seems like it’s got the potential to make our journeys carbon neutral, all they really do is clear your conscience and help airlines to escape scaling their flight schedules down.

Perhaps In The Future?

So unfortunately, as it stands flying cannot be and is not sustainable. But what about the future of flying – could there ever be a way for it to become truly sustainable? 

There are currently a few methods that could be used to change aviation and make it more sustainable, so what are they? 

Sustainable Aviation Fuels or SAFs

SAFs are special fuel blends created using household waste, cooking oils, and plants that are then combined with kerosene to be used for jet engines. Per flight, these fuels have been shown to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80%, making flying a far more viable option. 

However, even with an 80% reduction, this still brings carbon levels to around 57 grams per mile travelled, with trains currently being only 14 grams per mile. What’s more is that SAFs are over 3x more expensive than standard kerosene, currently making it entirely unrealistic for airlines to switch to. For SAFs to be effectively sustainable someday, they’d need to further reduce the amount of kerosene used, and be produced at a much cheaper cost.

Electric Planes

Electric planes seem like the most obvious answer – after all, electric cars and train travel are leading the way for more sustainable travel. Whilst entirely electric planes could make flying completely carbon neutral (providing all electricity is generated from sustainable sources), we’re still a long way off that prospect.

As it stands, batteries and electric power in vehicles simply isn’t at the stage it needs to be for flying to work. 1kg of kerosene can currently output around 12,000Wh for a plane, whilst the most powerful batteries are capable of only 250Wh per kg of battery. So, even if you could load up a plane with enough batteries to generate the power for lift off, it’d simply be far to heavy to ever fly. This is especially the case for long-haul flights, where planes get lighter as they go from burning up the fuel. With batteries, this obviously doesn’t happen, making long haul flights pretty much impossible with current tech.

Short haul flights on smaller planes could become electric within the next couple of decades, with airlines like EasyJet currently working on an all-electric plane for up to 186 passengers. This is a good sign that at least some flights could become electric, but unfortunately, it’s only looking like short flights which are easier to switch out anyway, and could be coming far too late. Realistically, without dramatic changes in the next few years, by the years 2035-40 when these planes could become widely used, the damage will have already been done.

Hydrogen Planes

The final strategy that’s currently a potential option to make flying more sustainable in the future is hydrogen. It has the potential to be produced with virtually no emissions at all, and per kg it holds more energy than the fuel that’s currently used. So why isn’t it being used more? 

As with every fuel technology for planes, there are roadblocks that make it difficult to implement effectively. Hydrogen requires large storage cells, approximately 4x the size of current plane fuel compartments. Most of current hydrogen is also derived from natural gas during a process that produces CO2, meaning that it’s not currently sustainable. For hydrogen to become a sustainable power source in planes, the world would have to switch to a hydrogen-focused economy where it is produced entirely cleanly and used for a range of purposes to make it cost-effective.

So, could flying ever be sustainable?

Well, certainly not within the next decade, and beyond that, it all depends on which way our economy goes. If we’re able to develop stronger electrical or hydrogen technologies then flying could well become an entirely sustainable activity, which would make long distance travel quick and clean. 

So you could say yes, flying could one day be sustainable. However with the surrounding factors, it might be too little, too late, putting more emphasis on avoiding flying as much as possible and focusing efforts on alternative methods that are far closer to becoming entirely sustainable. And that’s if all goes exactly to plan!

7 Sustainable Countries That You NEED To Visit

Sustainable Travel

Sustainable travel, eco-tourism, green travel, or any of its other names is becoming more popular and for good reason: our planet needs it. Whilst exploring the world is amazing, it causes extensive damage to our ecosystems and atmosphere that can’t be sustained for much longer. 

One thing that we can do is to hugely reduce our emissions whilst travelling, and a great start is by visiting sustainable-friendly countries! Here are the top 7 countries that promote sustainable tourism that you’ve got to visit one day!

1. Costa Rica

Costa Rica demonstrates some impressive stats when it comes to sustainability, and we love to see it in such a nature-rich environment! Over 25% of the country is already protected as nature conservation area, helping to protect thousands of species every year.

On top of that, Costa Rica already produce over 98% of their energy from renewable sources, with the majority coming from hydroelectric power. Their goal is to become entirely carbon neutral by 2050 and it looks like they’re on the right tracks!

As for why you absolutely need to visit Costa Rica, it’s jam-packed nature, wildlife, stunning sights, and adventure. From rainforests to white sand beaches, to perfect underwater corals, you’ve got virtually everything you need to see whatever you’d like! And, with over 500,000 species of animals, it’s one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet.

2. Italy

Italy has been developing its agrotourism industry for over 30 years now, with over 20,000 farms signed up to the initiative. This allows travellers all over the world to experience a more sustainable trip by staying on a farm, often growing, cooking, and eating all organic foods grown on the grounds!

You can find these all across the country, making it a great place to visit if you’re looking for a sustainable escape to the countryside! Italy’s got a huge variety of landscapes to explore too, anything from crystal clear waters, to snow-covered mountains, to cities filled with culture!

3. Slovenia

Slovenia is the first country in the world to have been declared in its entirety as a Green Destination of the world! Whichever direction you turn, you’ll find green in Slovenia, much as a result of the sustainable focus that the residents have. 

Over 13% of the country is protected in order to preserve the natural biodiversity and many national parks. Slovenia also use nationwide, approved labels to classify sustainable establishments like restaurants and accommodations so that you can find them more easily!

Trips to Slovenia are packed full of nature, with over 34 stunning national parks. Explore mountain ranges, glossy lakes, deep green forests, and Adriatic coastline, or visit the cultural capital city of Ljubljana. And, as a bonus from the top to the bottom of the country it’ll only take you about two and a half hours in the car, helping you see more without ever needing to fly!

4. Norway

Norway is one of the most sustainable countries in the entire world. 95% of energy comes from hydropower, they have the most electric cars per capita which reduces the use of oil, and they’re on track to become climate neutral by 2030 – 2 decades before most other countries.

The country is also great for sustainable travel in particular; around 2/3s of travel companies there have implemented a sustainable development program already, and they use a range of programs like Sustainable Destination and Green Travel to make it easier for consumers to find sustainable travel routes and options.

Norway’s breath-taking landscapes make it a great place to visit too. Modern cities like Oslo, picturesque coastal towns like Bergen, mountain ranges, the Fjords, beaches, and if you’re feeling brave, the arctic circle!

5. Iceland

Icelandic nature is fragile, and the people who live there are conscious of that. Tourism has now become the nation’s largest industry, so there’s been a lot of focus on making it more sustainable. Iceland use a system called Vakinn which helps travellers to find and use organisations that operate in a sustainable and ethical way. They also have a range of carbon-capturing projects that people can donate to in order to help them grow and lower the levels of carbon in Iceland.

At this point, most people are aware of why you travel to Iceland – huge landscapes of beauty, waterfalls, lakes, glaciers, natural thermal pools, the Northern Lights, mossy mountains…the list goes on! It’s the perfect country for a nature adventure to discover some of the most unique natural sights on earth.

6. Austria

Sustainability is embedded in a lot of what Austria does, making it a great destination for a sustainable trip! Austria are European leaders in organic, farm to table farming, reducing the amount of harmful pesticides used and road miles travelled to transport food.

There’s also a big focus on reducing the carbon footprint in Austria, with car-free zones in some of the most popular cities, electrically powered buses and trams, renewable-energy-powered ski lifts, and free public shuttles to reduce traffic and car use.

Austria’s full of picturesque towns and cities like Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck, or head to the countryside for skiing in the winter and lake sports and mountain hikes during the summer. You won’t be short of fresh air with an Austrian getaway!

7. Sweden

This list wouldn’t be complete without Sweden, which was announced the best country in the world for sustainable tourism in 2021. Sweden have a wide range of initiatives that help it and travellers there to be more sustainable. For example, they started the flyskam (flight shaming) movement which has led to fewer domestic flights and many alternative options opening up. Sustainable lodging is also easy to find in Sweden thanks to their Nordic eco designs that rely on natural and renewable resources.

Sweden’s larger cities of Stockholm and Gothenburg are renowned for being some of the most beautiful in Europe, whilst coastal areas such as the Stockholm Archipelago provide amazingly interesting natural landscapes throughout the year. In the north, you can also explore the arctic circle and mountain regions, and if you’re lucky even catch the northern lights!

These have been the 7 sustainable countries that you should definitely visit if you’re into sustainable tourism! It plays an important role in changing the way that we all travel to protect the environment for future generations to be able to do the same. Which of these countries do you want to visit? Or, like us, ALL OF THEM! 

Check out some of our other posts!

Welcome To The Ecotels Blog!

Uncategorized

Hi and welcome to our Blog! Here, you’ll find some useful tips and general information on – you guessed it – Travel! After all, that’s what we’re all about. Whether you want to find out about new places or some general basic tips on preparing for your trips, we hope that you’ll be covered in the Blog section. Keep an eye out for new posts to make sure you don’t miss out on any useful information!

https://centravely.co.uk/east-coast-of-australia-in-a-camper/

How To Travel As A Vegan

Vegan Travel

Travelling as a vegan often presents its challenges – not all places offer vegan options and even if they do, if you’re reading a language you don’t understand, you might have no clue what they are! I’ve been there, either stuck with no options, or reading a menu that might as well have been a blank piece of paper. But fear not, there are ways to surpass the inconveniences and live as a healthy vegan all over the world!

Research your destination

One of the best ways to ensure easy access to vegan food is by doing simple research into the local area that you’re travelling to. Check for restaurants and cafes in the area, view menus and see if your hotel offers any vegan options. You can also view our list of vegan hotels to see if there are any at your holiday destination.

The internet is one of your most useful tools as a vegan – and this is the same when it comes to travel. Find Vegan Hotels, check for vegan restaurants and locate nearby supermarkets.

One of the best ways to ensure easy access to vegan food is by doing simple research into the local area that you’re travelling to. Check for restaurants and cafes in the area, view menus and see if your hotel offers any vegan options. You can also view our list of vegan hotels to see if there are any at your holiday destination.

With the internet at your fingertips, its so easy to have a look at what you’ll find in and around your location. Compile a list of places where you can buy food, eat out or get snacks and make sure to save the address in case you have no internet – not a problem you should face these days though!

 If you eat meat, you’re responsible, on average, for the consumption of 15,000 litres of water a day.

Peta

Bear in mind that if there is nothing nearby, you can always move a little further away for your stay. You can always visit the original location whilst there – and would you rather be driving a few times to see something special, or driving miles just for each meal?

Learn the language basics

Another quick pre-trip tip is to learn a few of the ingredients to look out for, in whichever language your destination country uses. Words that are important include milk, egg, cream, beef, pork, chicken and gelatine. That’s only seven words that you need to learn and it will definitely be a huge help!

Google Translate is a quick and easy way to understand menus and ingredients lists. Type in an ingredient and it will automatically detect the language and give you the translation straight into your own!

What’s more is that nowadays, any of these ingredients are almost always written in bold or caps on the ingredient list. This makes it even easier to decipher tricky lists and determine whether it’s free from meat, dairy and eggs or not.

For you lazy ones out there, make sure to have Google Translate downloaded on your phone. Not only can you type words to find what they mean, but the app even allows you to photograph a whole chunk of text and have it immediately translated. Now there really isn’t an excuse for foreign ingredients lists!

Visit local, fresh restaurants

Don’t worry if you didn’t manage any research before setting off! A safe bet that should help you to avoid unwanted products in your food is to visit local restaurants who prepare food freshly. This will allow you to ask the staff if they can leave out any specific ingredients of the dish, or switch them out for alternatives.

This is where you might want to add to the list of words that you learn before you travel. Learning words like “no” or “without” can become very handy!

Local restaurants that prepare their food freshly will often be able to alter dishes to meet your needs as a vegan. Simply ask before you order if this is possible and you can still enjoy great restaurant food abroad!

Many restaurants will be happy to do this, especially those that have substitute ingredients. You will often find that in many places, vegan options and alternatives are readily available. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can even offer to provide the substitute yourself. Although it seems strange to bring your own vegan cream or milk, many places will be happy to use it in their dish.

Use Happy Cow

Happy Cow is a useful app and website that shows vegan restaurants wherever you are in the world. Simply visit the website or download the app and enter your location into the search bar. With a huge list of restaurants, it’s easy to find something that will suit your needs. Not to mention, it’s free to use!

Ditching meat for a year saves the same amout of CO2 as flying 4,000 miles

Live Kindly

Cook your own food

A final tip that’s sure to keep your food vegan and diet-friendly. By cooking your own meals, you make sure what’s in them. Simple. Although it requires a little more time and effort, it might be your only option. To make sure things go quicker, you can always find a few vegan recipes that are done in under 20 minutes and use these on your trip.

Cooking food yourself is also mostly cheaper than eating out. So why not save some cash and spend it on something else like activities or tours.

One thing you will have to bear in mind when cooking your own meals whilst travelling is to make sure that you have a usable kitchen. Many hotels, hostels or B&B’s won’t come with kitchens for you to use so be careful of that if this is your plan.

Cooking with cheap ingredients within your own accommodation is a great way to save money and ensure that everything you eat is totally vegan!

If you do manage to get a kitchen and have local access to shops, markets or supermarkets, then cooking your own meals can be a great way to keep it vegan and budget friendly. And who doesn’t love that combo!

See, travelling as a vegan isn’t so bad!

By combining all of these tips it becomes really simple to travel as a vegan. Not only are there many solutions to keeping your diet green, but in todays world, you’ll more than likely stumble upon vegan options wherever you decide to go! Thankfully, the world is turning more vegan every day, with new alternatives and options in shops and restaurants worldwide. It wasn’t all that long ago that travelling the world and finding animal-free meals was a hard task! So in short, don’t let anything put you off of a place or your travel plans – you will find everything you need without a struggle.

If you have any useful tips, questions or recommendations then feel free to share them in our Facebook group here! Everyone in the vegan community can benefit from helping each other!

For more tips and information, view our other Blog Posts Here!

Living Sustainably

Lifestyle

Living Sustainably is a goal that many of us should have these days. With the state of the planet deteriorating rapidly, exploitation of animals and humans at an all time high and resources running ever lower, it is essential that humans as a whole are able to reduce their consumption of almost everything.

Protecting our planet and remaining sustainable is something everyone should strive to achieve in their daily lives. Keeping the earth green and clean is the way forwards!

Whether it’s food, water, clothing, shoes, electronics, furniture or other general consumer goods, it all requires taking something from our planet. Oh and not to mention the fact that these are all over-consumed, wasted or thrown out in ridiculous quantities by the human population. The amount of waste has tripled since 1960. Global water usage has increased almost six-fold since 1900, to 4 trillion m3 per year. The luxury goods market has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

Many people will simply brush this off with a “oh well it’s just cos we’re a growing population” sort of comment. That is, however, the exact issue. Making excuses can’t continue and it’s also completely irrelevant. That’s like saying “ah well my lung cancer was caused by unknown factors, not smoking”, and then totally disregarding your diagnosis and doing nothing about it. No matter what the cause, it is happening and we need to limit it as much as we can.

The greatest threat to our planet is believing that someone else will save it

Robert Swan

I know this all sounds extremely negative and as though there’s no hope for anything, ever again. Luckily, that’s not the case. With a simple shift in our society’s behaviour, we can drastically reduce the negative impacts – and it starts with you. Yes, you. Every single person can play their part in aiding our planet back to health and keeping it fit for generations to come. So let’s see what we can all do to start living more sustainably, more within our means and ultimately, more happily.

Changing our diet

One of the main lifestyle shifts that we can make easily is a change to our diets. Although this might sound daunting at first, it is actually very beneficial and there are many reasons to do so. The meat and dairy industry require huge amounts of water, land and plant crops to keep it going and feeding our ever-growing population. With more and more people starting to eat meat regularly, it is crucial to try and counteract this where we can.

A diet rich in fruit, vegetables and other plant products such as soy, are able to provide a healthy diet to people, whilst reducing the amount of land, water and emissions produced by food productions.

Not only has it been proven that we can survive without any meat at all, there is even a strong case that many people would actually thrive on a plant-based, vegan diet. Without going in to too many of the health benefits of veganism (there’s a separate post on that here), we can safely say that it provides people with a nutritious, balanced and sustainable way of eating. But how sustainable is it?

Well, over the course of a year it is estimated that a vegan saves 1.5 Million litres of water, 6600 KGs of grain, 1022 square metres of forest, and over 3300 KGs of CO2! That’s a pretty crazy amount of resources that are saved, just by eating healthier, plant-based foods. Now imagine you live in a household of four, how much would you save then? What if you got your family friends, your cousins and your grandparents all to switch to a vegan diet?

That is a lot of resources saved. In fact, if you got just 9 other people on board, that’s over 15 Million litres of water saved per year! 15 Million!

Eating a vegan diet could be the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on earth

A Study By The University Of Oxford Has Shown

Many people are reducing their meat consumption or becoming vegetarian, but unfortunately that simply is not enough anymore. Had we made the shift a decade ago, we might have gotten away with it. Now, we are facing a critical time where drastic and urgent actions need to happen. Comparing even a vegetarian’s CO2 savings show how much more effective a vegan diet really is. 730 KGs per year, vs 3300 – that’s over 4 times less saved than a vegan diet!

Eating and living sustainably can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 73%! Even smaller steps such as reducing meats like lamb and beef can reduce your footprint by a quarter.

So as you can see, it’s a very effective way of creating a sustainable, healthy lifestyle for yourself and is one of the steps you should definitely consider if you want to become more sustainable. If you are looking for any tips on how to switch to a vegan diet, check out our other blog posts on that here.

Nobody really needs Fast Fashion…

Another one of the most resource-straining industries is the fashion industry. Clothes, more clothes, shoes and more shoes. For some people, their inventory is endless – they don’t even have space for all the clothing and pairs of shoes that they hoard! This habit is a little hard to drop though, and may be easier to do gradually rather than burning everything you own and buying only 1 outfit per year.

The fast fashion industry contributes more to climate change than aviation and shipping combined. Due to the extreme levels of production and waste in the clothing industry, it’s become one of the top contributors.

Clothing takes so many resources from cotton, to leather and wool from animals, to metal used for sewing machines. And for what? So that it can just be worn for a year and then chucked away? The main problem is that society has basically taught us: you own many outfits, you’re rich. You wear the same clothes multiple times a week, ew. Now, obviously in most places it’s not quite so bad and not quite so black and white, however there remains this idea that people need to have all these different types of clothes, different outfits for different days and different pairs of shoes for different events.

But why? Nobody really needs that when you think about it, and it even causes you more stress with so many different combos and choices. The worst part is that you can’t even wear that many clothes, so they sit around wasting away until one day you think “oh, I haven’t worn that this year so I’ll bin it”. That’s a pretty wasteful product lifecycle if you ask me.

Minimalist fashion is far better for our environment and for those working in manufacturing plants abroad. By buying fewer garments of higher quality we reduce the strain on resources and allow companies to afford to pay workers a higher wage.

A better way to go about fashion is in a minimalistic way. By buying fewer outfits and fewer individual items, you can focus on buying higher quality, more sustainably produced clothing. Yes, sustainable and eco-friendly clothes are more expensive, but if you pay more attention and are careful in what you’re buying then you can easily even out the costs.

Instead of buying 3 different pairs of trousers that are all kind of similar, buy just one quality pair that will last you forever and didn’t ruin the planet to be made. The other benefit to this is that eventually, if enough people commit to buying sustainably then prices will go down and more and more companies will start to focus on this as demand rises.

This has huge potential to change the way the fashion industry is and could make it a far more eco-friendly and sustainable industry. If everyone plays their part to help this shift then that is a great way to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Choosing the way we travel

By now everyone has probably heard it a million times over – we need to travel less often, whilst choosing public transport more, whilst focusing on using electricity rather than combustion engines. Or better yet, walk or cycle everywhere you go. This sounds like a strenuous duty that nobody can really be bothered for or that nobody enjoys. However, there are many benefits to everybody by following this advice.

Cycling is an all-round transport winner – once you’ve got your bike, it’s totally free. It keeps you fit. And not to mention, it produces no emissions at all in daily use.

Firstly let’s think about walking and cycling, since these are the most sustainable. It’s so much cheaper. If you walk to work, or walk to the shops, it is 100% free – there are no fuel costs, no maintenance costs, no fares, no road taxes. So not only do you reduce your carbon footprint but you also save money by choosing to walk short trips, rather than taking the car or bus unnecessarily.

Similarly, cycling is a very cost-effective way to travel. The only cost you have is buying the bike upfront and minor maintenance costs over time, but compared to any other form of transport this is a great deal cheaper. Cycling will also get you a lot further than walking, allowing you to take longer journeys whilst still reducing your carbon footprint and your overall costs.

Public transport is also a great option to travel more sustainably and it brings its own benefits. It’s often cheaper to share transport and generally, the more people you share with, the cheaper it is. If you live in a city, public transport is everywhere, with huge amounts of connections. This makes it a great way to get around as it’s easy, can take you wherever you need to go, is more sustainable than cars, and is cheaper than cars.

Train travel produces only 14 grams of CO2 per passenger mile, compared to 285 grams when flying and 158 grams when travelling by car.

Lastly, considering longer distances, trains and coaches are great ways to travel far whilst keeping your carbon footprint low. In order to reduce the global footprint of travel, there needs to be a drastic change in how we get places. Obviously, there are certain journeys where there is no alternative to plane travel – for that we’ll just have to hope electric planes come around quickly! But, for those journeys that can be switched out, it should be made a priority for everyone. Although it takes longer by train and bus, and although train can be more expensive, they really do make a great difference to the health of our planet. Plus, who doesn’t love sitting and watching movies for hours and hours on end?!

So, by being more conscious (and a bit less lazy) when we travel, we can live much more sustainably and have a huge impact on how much we damage and take from the environment. By choosing transport that takes large numbers of people using little amounts of fuel, and by walking or cycling whenever we can, we can drastically reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced. And by increasing demand for train, bus and coach transport, prices will eventually sink as they have done with flights, creating more affordable sustainable travel methods that everyone can access.

So how does it all add up?

By changing a few key areas of your lifestyle, you can really have a positive impact on the environment and the world around us. Although lots of us are ready to brush the whole sustainability thing aside with the excuse that “I won’t have any impact by myself”, every single step towards a more eco-friendly society is important.

Explore Sustainably

Book A Sustainable Adventure Today

BOOK NOW

Not only can you play a crucial part by yourself, but you can help to influence others. That’s why it’s so important for us all to try and live sustainably – the more individuals on board, the quicker the dominoes will fall. With the simple changes suggested above, everyone can easily reduce their CO2 output and save wastage of materials and water. All it takes is a bit more thought behind daily choices and you’re well on your way to helping safeguard the environment for generations to come.

Living sustainably is a goal that everybody should have and with some conscious actions and changes, it is a realistic outcome that we can achieve. For inspiration on how you can travel sustainably or live a vegan lifestyle then check out our other blog posts!